Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

Republican education plan. Voting 221-207, the House on Friday passed a GOP bill (HR 5) to greatly diminish the federal role in K-12 education, increase state and local authority over schools, and freeze spending for elementary and secondary education for several years at sequestration levels. The bill, which renews the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for five years, would repeal most of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind requirements.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

Democratic education plan. Voting 193-233, the House on Friday defeated a Democratic alternative to HR 5 (above) that sought to retain the strong federal role in K-12 education that began with the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965.

A yes vote backed the Democratic bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Individual mandate in health law. Voting 251-174, the House on Wednesday passed a GOP bill (HR 2668) to delay for one year the requirement in the 2010 health law that U.S. citizens and legal residents obtain medical insurance by Jan. 1, 2014, or pay a penalty in their income-tax filings. In 2014, the penalty is 1 percent of taxable income per household or individual or $95 for each adult in a household, whichever is greater.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Schwartz.

Preexisting conditions. Voting 193-230, the House on Wednesday refused to stipulate that HR 2668 (above) would not diminish any of three key parts of the 2010 health law - its ban on insurance discrimination on the basis of preexisting conditions or gender, its curbs on copayments and out-of-pocket costs, and its provision of tax credits and rebates to make health insurance affordable.

Andrews said: "Last year, two presidential candidates traveled all over this country. One called for this law's repeal. The other stood by this law's enforcement. Last November, the American people spoke and they said, 'We're not going backward.' Well, here we are again, and the choice is backward or forward."

A yes vote backed the Democratic motion.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Employer mandate in health law. Voting 264-161, the House on Wednesday passed a Republican bill (HR 2667) to delay until 2015 the employer mandate in the 2010 health law. Under the mandate, employers with more than 50 full-time workers are required to provide medical insurance for their workers or pay a stiff fine to the Treasury. This bill would codify a decision the administration already has made to move the starting date from January 2014 to January 2015.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Carney, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Cartwright, Fattah, and Schwartz.

Job-based health insurance. Voting 188-230, the House on Wednesday refused to stipulate that HR 2667 (above) would not diminish health benefits in 2014 for individuals and families with job-based medical insurance.

Sponsor Andrews said: "Make no mistake about it, the purpose of the underlying bill is to unravel the Affordable Care Act thread by thread and make sure that it collapses under its own weight."

A yes vote was to adopt the motion.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Senate

Thomas Perez confirmation. Voting 54-46, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Thomas E. Perez to become the 26th U.S. secretary of labor. Perez, 51, had been the assistant attorney general for civil rights.

A yes vote was to confirm Perez.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Jeffrey Chiesa (R., N.J.) and Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

Gina McCarthy confirmation. Voting 59-40, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Gina McCarthy as the 13th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, replacing Lisa Jackson, who left the agency in February. McCarthy, 58, had been in charge of the EPA's clean-air and radiation programs, and now will implement President Obama's plan to reduce power-plant emissions associated with global warming.

A yes vote was to confirm McCarthy.

Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

Voting no: Chiesa and Toomey.

Richard Cordray confirmation. Voting 66-34, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray, 54, a former Ohio attorney general, began leading the agency in January 2012 under a recess appointment by Obama.

A yes vote was to confirm Cordray.

Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

Voting no: Chiesa and Toomey.

This week. The House will debate fiscal 2014 appropriations bills, while the Senate will take up the 2014 military budget. Both chambers could vote on a bill linking student-loan interest rates to yields on 10-year Treasury notes.